Photos of Mirkarimi's wife show bruised arm

MIRKARIMI CASE

Updated 6:08 pm, Friday, March 1, 2013

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves the Hall of Justice after a judge was assigned to his domestic violence trial in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves the Hall of Justice after a judge was assigned to his domestic violence trial in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Image 2 of 10

Attorney Lidia Stiglich (left) leads her client, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, through a crowd of reporters and photographers after a judge was assigned to his domestic violence trial at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. less

Attorney Lidia Stiglich (left) leads her client, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, through a crowd of reporters and photographers after a judge was assigned to his domestic violence trial at the Hall of Justice in San ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Image 3 of 10

This image, taken from a video shot by her neighbor, shows Eliana Lopez displaying her bruised arm.

This image, taken from a video shot by her neighbor, shows Eliana Lopez displaying her bruised arm.

Photo: Paul Chinn, Courtesy Of The San Francisco Di

Image 4 of 10

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves the Hall of Justice after a judge was assigned to his domestic violence trial in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves the Hall of Justice after a judge was assigned to his domestic violence trial in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Image 5 of 10

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves the Hall of Justice after a judge was assigned to his domestic violence trial in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves the Hall of Justice after a judge was assigned to his domestic violence trial in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Image 6 of 10

The San Francisco District Attorney's office released still images, on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, from a video shot by neighbor Ivory Madison of Eliana Lopez wiping tears as she displays a bruise allegedly sustained after a heated argument with Lopez's husband, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi. less

The San Francisco District Attorney's office released still images, on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, from a video shot by neighbor Ivory Madison of Eliana Lopez wiping tears as she displays a bruise allegedly ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, Courtesy Of The San Francisco Di

Image 7 of 10

The San Francisco District Attorney's office released still images, on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, from a video shot by neighbor Ivory Madison of Eliana Lopez crying as she removes her sweater to display a bruise allegedly sustained after a heated argument with Lopez's husband, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi. less

The San Francisco District Attorney's office released still images, on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, from a video shot by neighbor Ivory Madison of Eliana Lopez crying as she removes her sweater to display a bruise ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, Courtesy Of The San Francisco Di

Image 8 of 10

The San Francisco District Attorney's office released still images on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, from a video shot by neighbor Ivory Madison of Eliana Lopez displaying a bruise allegedly sustained after a heated argument with Lopez's husband, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi. less

The San Francisco District Attorney's office released still images on Friday, Feb. 24, 2012, from a video shot by neighbor Ivory Madison of Eliana Lopez displaying a bruise allegedly sustained after a heated ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, Courtesy Of The San Francisco Di

Image 9 of 10

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi is surrounded as he leaves the Hall of Justice after a judge was assigned to his case.

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi is surrounded as he leaves the Hall of Justice after a judge was assigned to his case.

Photo: Paul Chinn, Associated Press

Image 10 of 10

Photos of Mirkarimi's wife show bruised arm

1 / 10

Back to Gallery

San Francisco prosecutors went public Friday with photos of Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's wife displaying a large arm bruise that her husband allegedly inflicted on her during a fight New Year's Eve.

The photos were taken from a video that a neighbor of Mirkarimi and his wife, Eliana Lopez, shot the day after the incident that led to misdemeanor domestic violence charges being filed against the sheriff.

During the 50-second video, Lopez describes how Mirkarimi became enraged during an argument in their Western Addition home and grabbed her right arm, inflicting the bruise, prosecutors say.

Latest news videos

The defense is seeking to exclude the video from Mirkarimi's trial, arguing that Lopez was speaking not as a recent crime victim, but as a wife who was preparing for a possible custody fight with her husband over their young son. As such, Lopez had a motive to lie about the incident, the defense says.

Prosecutors included the still photos in a filing with Superior Court Judge Garrett Wong, who will preside over the trial, that argues against the defense motion.

Prosecutors say Lopez made her statements on the video spontaneously, in "a mental state of extreme agitation and excitement."

The stills show Lopez displaying a bruise several inches in diameter on the inside of her right biceps. Other photos released from the video appear to show her weeping.

The prosecution's filing also includes a statement by Ivory Madison, the neighbor who filmed the video. The defense has sought to bar her version of what Lopez told her, arguing that it amounts to hearsay.

Lopez has refused to cooperate with prosecutors and has denounced the criminal case as politically motivated.

Boy was 'screaming'

Madison told investigators that Lopez, 36, came to her about 18 hours after the alleged New Year's Eve incident to talk about goals for 2012. Within "a few minutes," Lopez's demeanor changed and she "completely burst into tears" as she talked about the incident and her 2-year-old son's reaction to it, Madison told investigators.

The boy was "crying and screaming" as Mirkarimi "grabbed, pushed and pulled" Lopez and screamed obscenities at her, Madison says Lopez told her.

New judge

Wong, who was assigned the case Friday, scheduled a hearing for Monday at which prosecutors and the defense will argue their motions. He said Mirkarimi does not have to appear at the hearing. Jury selection is scheduled to begin later next week.

Wong was assigned to the case after Mirkarimi's attorney, Lidia Stiglich, testified in a hearing earlier Friday that she did not think the judge who had heard all the pretrial proceedings, Superior Court Judge Susan Breall, could oversee the case impartially and without bias against either her or Mirkarimi.

Stiglich did not explain her opposition to the case being heard by Breall, a former domestic violence prosecutor in the San Francisco district attorney's office. Stiglich declined to comment outside court.

Breall granted prosecution motions during pretrial hearings to bar Mirkarimi from having contact with his wife or the couple's 2-year-old son. Mirkarimi eventually went to family court to win the right to visit with the boy.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.